Presenting the German education system is not that easy, especially since, strictly speaking, there is no German education system. The federal states are responsible for educational policy in Germany. They have so-called cultural sovereignty, so that the state governments can largely decide independently how they shape their education systems. There are some differences between the federal states in the design of the general education system, but also in the other educational areas.
Compulsory schooling
Compulsory schooling generally begins in the year of sixth birthday. From this age onwards, all children are legally obliged to attend school. In exceptional cases, however, a school-age child can be postponed from school enrolment for one year, namely if it is found not to be “fit for school” in the course of a school medical examination.
As a rule, compulsory schooling extends up to the age of 18 and consists of two parts: The so-called full-time compulsory schooling comprises nine, in some federal states even ten years of attendance at a general school.
Educational areas and educational institutions and courses
The education system consists of five major areas of education:
- elementary level,
- primary education,
- lower secondary level,
- Upper secondary and
- tertiary education.
Each of these educational areas in turn comprises different educational institutions or courses.
Source: Federal Agency for Civic Education – bpb.de – Benjamin Edelstein (23.07.2013)
